Just Cake #3
by popular demand (2 people asked) (hello) (thank you for commenting! it means a lot even if I don't manage to answer perhaps)
Part 1, Part 2
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“Look who we’ve caught,” an entirely too sweet voice said. “Well, aren’t you two adorable?”
The villain was growling now. A low, guttural sound which the henchman has only heard in life-threatening situations, usually forced out by the desperate struggle of survival. Now it was a promise of violence, get closer I dare you, a promise of slaughter and doom.
They tried to angle their head to glimpse whoever had the honour of experiencing such a threat.
The person shuffled to the side, no doubt measuring them in turn. They were all cloak and magic glowing through two bright orange eyes.
Supervillain.
They were so screwed. Utterly fucked.
The supervillain measured them both.
They seemed… wary. Ridiculous, given that the two potential threats were trapped in a power-suppressing net. Ridiculous, given that the supervillain was a supervillain for a reason—spectacular amount of magical skill and all.
Although the henchman could admit they wouldn’t want to be facing their villain’s growling and claws either. Even through a net. There were holes.
“You’re not superhero.”
The confusion triggered by such statement startled the villain out of their instinctual reaction. They stopped growling, although they were still baring their teeth.
“I was not expecting anyone else,” the supervillain said. “Perhaps that pesky hero who lurks around them sometimes, but not a fellow criminal.”
Fellow criminal, huh? The henchman assumed the supervillain was trying to convince them that they’re all on the same side. Perhaps the idea of a potential furious threat unsettled them, no matter the current cage around it.
Well, it wasn’t like they particularly wanted to stay in the bloody uncomfortable trap.
“In that case,” the henchman said, “I suppose you wouldn’t mind getting us out of the net?”
“Should I?”
…the henchman had assumed wrong.
While they probably were on a similar kind of boat regarding their criminal activities, the supervillain hadn’t had any proper motivation to let them go. They weren’t especially close or anything.
And yet, still standing there. Still watching the two criminals swinging in their net as if they somehow held the answers to the universe.
The supervillain had options.
First, they could let them out. The best outcome but severely unlikely.
Second, they could close a bargain of some kind. I’ll only let you out if… which was less favourable, but it would still mean getting out relatively quickly.
Third, they could leave them trapped.
It occurred to the henchman that while there was little chance of them making it out then, the supervillain couldn’t possibly know that. Their villain’s powers were speculated on so many levels it had led to more confusion than clarity in the industry. That could work out in their favour.
The henchman was no mind reader. They couldn’t possibly know how much of a threat did the supervillain consider them at the moment. Nevertheless, the supervillain was still standing there.
Nevertheless, the supervillain didn’t seem entirely convinced leaving them hanging was their best option.
They could work with that.
They decided to play their cards according to their instincts. The villain still hovered over them, a display of teeth and taunt like an arrow ready to take flight and slaughter. Their most wild card, a whisper of carnage. A terrifying ace.
The henchman loved them so.
“You had no quarrel with us before this… incident,” the henchman said. They focused on keeping their tone light, conversational. “Although, now that the situation has changed, perhaps you’re excited to find out how we settle the score, hm?”
Their look met the orange eyes. The supervillain probably found them crazy, threatening from within the containment. They felt insane. They felt the thrill run through them.
“Let us go, so the beast doesn’t have to claw its way out.”
On cue, the villain growled.
The supervillain hesitated.
It was a brief and finely concealed blip of emotion, barely slipping past the dangerous façade. Surely the villain couldn’t be so terrifying as to startle them. And yet.
The supervillain drew a smile, entirely too sharp in its flawless elegance. “Of course.” Then they proceeded to pull shears out of nowhere.
The henchman tried not to be impressed too bad. They hadn’t had much time to ponder about the practicality of the supervillain’s pockets relevant to such level of preparedness, since the net was cut down. There was little regard for the fact they would hit the ground.
The henchman couldn’t care less about the fall as their magic roared to life inside them. It pushed along their bones and crashed into their skin from within. It settled then, nesting in their body like a monster in its cave.
Belatedly, they realized the villain shielded the back of their neck and head from impact with their arm.
There was absolutely no dignified way to get out of the tangle of ropes.
Once the henchman managed, they realized the villain was standing over them protectively, placing themselves between them and the supervillain.
The villains stared each other down. It seemed a stalemate.
“I appreciate you understand plans fall through sometimes,” the supervillain said. “It was not my intention to harm you.”
“As displayed,” the henchman noted quietly.
The villain considered this. They nodded in acknowledgement.
The henchman itched to get out of another’s territory. They were sure the villain didn’t want to linger either.
“Could you give us directions from the forest?” they asked. “We would dislike to meddle with any of your other… endeavours.”
The supervillain tilted their head.
“What I mean is…” The henchman pulled the net up from beneath their feet, holding it out. “We wouldn’t want to mess with your handiwork.”
The supervillain grinned as they took the cluster of ropes, a little feral, a little genuine. They did point the two in a certain direction. They tipped their head at the villain before seemingly dissolving back into the forest and vanishing.
“Bloody hell.”
The villain inclined their head. Then they turned and started away. “Luckily not.”
“Luckily not,” the henchman huffed in echo, following short behind. “Extremely insightful as always, boss.”
“Hm.”
They luckily didn’t stumble into any more traps on their way back.
The henchman was so not sleeping that night.
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had a Riptide concept that’s been eating away at my brain and now I gotta share it–
the Ferin lineage does boat burning (“viking style”) funerals for their family members, with a line of the Navy’s finest archers and the arrows ignited by those who have the fiery powers (which we can currently assume is most of them besides 2 that we know of)
now whatever you do, don’t imagine Ava Ferin lying at rest in a wooden boat drifting just off the coastline of Featherbrook island, surrounded by flowers and mementos of her life, adorned in her formal uniform or favorite dress and decorated with some of her Navy accolades. don’t imagine Jay Ferin, almost 20 years old, standing cliffside as part of the elite archery line, trembling as she nocks her arrow. her father, who hasn’t spoken a word in days after bringing home the news, mournfully preparing a flame to light the arrow’s point. her mother, with grief filled eyes fixed on Ava’s vessel the entire time, placing a reassuring hand on the shoulder.
don’t imagine Jay having to take one final breath before drawing back her bow, trying her hardest to keep her aim steady as her eyes begin to water, the flame of her arrow the only thing she could make out for a moment before providing the command to shoot with a shaky voice. don’t imagine Jay’s eyes staying trained on her arrow as it falls alongside her own tears, expertly landing just above Ava’s head, it’s fire the first to ignite the deceased captain’s floating pyre before the rest join, then flames rising to light the night as the sun sets.
The Ferin family looks on in silence for some time, but Jay is the only one who stays until Ava’s fire has been completely burned out.
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OPQ, my beloved. I have dubbed this drabble Pizza Parlor, aka what I think would have happened if part 1 had a happy ending instead (cw/tw: blood/violence mentions):
"Fuck, it's bright." Those were the first words spoken after a few minutes of silence while the group walked up the stairs. Benito wad the one to speak first, as he opened the door. The door opened to a forest and a dirt path. "Where are we?" Lucie asked, barely walking up the stairs herself as she was being held up by Diego. Luis was just behind them, holding Emi's hand and Jeffrey on his back. There was the sound of cars not too far away. They were close to civilization. "No fucking clue, but we're probably close to a city." Benito was the first out the door closely followed by the rest of the group. They walked down the path when they entered the city from a sideroad. People looked at them with odd and concerned looks as they walked by. Five adults and one young teen, all covered in blood, was definitely concerning, to say the least.
"Is it just me, or is anyone else starving?" Diego asks, adrenaline running low.
"I could eat." Luis responds, followed by the other three agreeing. Emi didn't say anything.
"You know what I'm craving?" Benito asks, getting slightly confused looks from the other five. He was shielding his eyes with his hands. "Pizza." He states simply. Jeffrey mumbles something along the lines of 'fuck yes' into Luis' back. Nobody else had any disagreement with that plan of getting pizza. "Where are we? What are we going to pay with?" Lucie asks again as she attempts to bandage herself while they walk. "We can pay with card, you know." Luis responds again, as nobody knows where they are. "That really doesn't help us figure out where we are." Lucie sighs. "Don't worry, Lucie. We'll figure it out." Diego tries his best to be comforting. Lucie smiles back at him.
Now, here they are, sitting in a booth at a pizza parlor. The minimum wage cashier gave them odd looks, similar to those on the street. They ordered a large half cheese, half pepperoni pizza, and some bread sticks, though they knew they probably would order more later. When it arrived, nobody waited to take a piece of food.
"Let's agree to never do that again." Jeffery spoke, still trying not to die, sat between Luis and Diego.
"Never again." Diego speaks before he takes a large bite of a cheese slice.
"I'll agree to that." Lucie was a bit muffled as she had already taken a bite of breadstick and was covering her mouth.
"Whatever you say, pizzaboy." Benito was already on his second slice of pepperoni.
"Good idea." Luis responds between bites of slice of cheese pizza. Emi slowly nibbles on a bit of a breastick, but she did have a slice of pepperoni pizza on her plate that Lucie put there to encourage her to eat.
Around halfway through their third pizza and fourth order of breadsticks. Suddenly, Benito snaps his fingers. "Fuck, we left Mikael alive."
"Welp..." Jeffery hums, resting his head on the table.
"It's probably fine, right?" Diego asks, looking at Benito.
"Shit!" Luis responds, hitting the table, getting a groan from Jeffrey.
"Dammit." Lucie responds, lightly shoving Luis for hitting the table as she was also resting on the table.
They leave with a fourth pizza in a box and two more orders of breadsticks, much to the joy of the cashier. They get a large hotel room for the night, and they'll figure out where they are in the morning.
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